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What Kinds of Skis for Terrain Parks?

Looking for reviewers of this book section about terrain park skis. I'm completing edition #2 of "The Skiers Gift Book". (Edition 1 sold copies in 8 countries on Amazon.com.)

Reviewers' names (or Snowheads handles) will appear in the acknowledgements in this book, which will be sold worldwide.

Here it is...

Park Skier

Here’s where the industry creates a lot of excitement targeting aspiring daredevils looking to show off their best tricks skiing over jumps, buses and whatever else park crews have embedded in the snow.

Everything I described so far in this chapter about matching skis with your ability and performance still applies. You can continue to hone in on the best skis for you by answering one simple question: How much of your ski day will you spend in terrain parks grinding over rails, doing jumps and skiing backwards?

If you’ll spend most of the day in the park, then you’ll be doing less high speed mountain skiing and doing more acrobatic moves at moderate speeds. You’ll need skis that are maneuverable—skis that are shorter, narrower and, if you’re going to be skiing backwards, have the tails upturned like the tips.
If, on the other hand, you’re going to be skiing with your hair on fire all over the mountain, jumping off cornices and blasting through whatever snow conditions come your way, you’re going to want a ski that’s more stable at higher speeds can keep you in the skigasm zone no matter what you’re skiing on. That’s generally going to mean a ski that is longer and wider than if you only skied in the park.

Of course, there are no absolutes with skis. With enough skill, you can get any kind of ski to do roughly anything you want. And, like I said a minute ago, the point is to have fun whatever you’re skiing on.

Just know that different kinds of skis have predictable strengths. If your current skis aren’t stable enough at higher speeds, your next pair should be longer and stiffer. If they don’t float in powder, your next pair should be more flexible and wider. If you want more maneuverability, go shorter and lighter. You could even consider ski blades, which are just long enough to mount bindings on them.

Of course, you can solve all your ski choice conundrums by collecting a quiver of two or more pairs of skis, each built to perform in different conditions.
If you’re still living on your parents’ dime, you’ll need to make the case to your folks that owning two pairs of skis is absolutely critical to your successful journey into adulthood.

If you’ve already left your parents’ nest, earn money and want to invest in several pairs of skis, congratulations! You’ve got lots of skis to choose from and too much money for your own good. Please unburden yourself of some of that financial responsibility by sending a check to Dan, last name spelled C-O-D-Y.

Thanks.

###
This section follows others about skis for beginners, intermediate and advanced skiers.

How can this be improved? Thanks in advance!

-Dan

Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

Don't land jumps on SL skis with race plates unless you want your fillings rattled out

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Who is the book for?

Park rats will already know this stuff, so I'm guessing really it is for parents/ grandparents who don't ski seeriously but want to buy a gift but don't have the nous to ask a store for advice.

If it is for budding or actual park rats it's too banal and doesn't help that much. It's solid advice for answering a question on a forum or an intro for further debate or discussion but it doesn't cover relevant stuff like mounting point, ski symmetry, camber, rocker, sidecut or flex in a meaningful way. And as for ski blades? Hmm. I've skied extensively in the US and have only really seen Jerries on them outside of the Pain McShlonky races.

"Who is the book for?" ...EXCELLENT question. Thank you, Dave! Unlike the rest of us, you actually developed critical thinking skills in school.

The audience is skiers and gift buyers for skiers--No mystery here.

And, your question about what park rats know, or need to know, gets exactly at why I'm seeking input. This section, like others in the book, is supposed to be a) entertaining and b) useful.

Before I get to the section about park skis, I talk about ski length, flex pattern and width in earlier sections for beginning through advanced skiers.

But "park"?

Posters in a similar forum are all over the map on this---some doing a multivariate regression of ski performance, against rocker, turn radius, camber, symmetry. I've watched teens and parents glaze over as ski shop salespeople wax poetic about all these differences. The kid, confused, always chooses the skis with the coolest graphics.

Other posters suggest ski blades, which are only two steps removed from the performance characteristics of lunch trays. Except if you're only in the park all day. Then lunch trays may be a really good thing.

So, what do I tell a kid bent on gleefully grinding their edges down on rails all day? Worry about flex patterns or just buy lunch trays? ...Or, just go out, have fun on whatever you're skiing on and demo different skis that excel at different things to learn what you like?

So it's not a serious book and is intended to be humour? I checked out the amazon on the original book and I'm still none the wiser. Honestly I still don't understand the market.

Dedicated skiers - nope
Well meaning relatives who think it is a book on skiing so buy it as a gift?
People who buy it so they can know what ski junk to buy as a present.
Honestly I thought it would be a eBook for a couple of quid but you're selling it a price higher than most real books.

Dave of the Marmottes, no matter how many times you write me, I'm not going to put your name in the "The Skiers Gift of Skigasm" book after all.

Here's why...

You believe humour and seriousness are mutually exclusive. The rest of us have seen George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Lewis Black and many other comedians riff on valuable perspectives about serious topics. Because of their humour, their messages carry globally.

You, too, can use your interwebs machine to see comedians. They will inform and edify you. You might even laugh.

And, I can empathize that you don't understand the market for this book. I won't hold this against you. No one understands marketing. But, somehow, in my very first attempt to write and sell a book, I've stumbled upon an audience who buys, enjoys and refers the book to their friends.

Just lucky I guess.

So, rather than continuing to rely on dumb luck, I'm working hard to update the book, seeking input from others, trying to make the book--and, yeah, mankind and womankind--better.

Dave, I thought we had a nice thing going last night. But, you know, I'll still respect your critical thinking skills in the morning.

Can we be friends?

Dan

Dave of the Marmottes wrote:

So it's not a serious book and is intended to be humour? I checked out the amazon on the original book and I'm still none the wiser. Honestly I still don't understand the market.

Dedicated skiers - nope
Well meaning relatives who think it is a book on skiing so buy it as a gift?
People who buy it so they can know what ski junk to buy as a present.
Honestly I thought it would be a eBook for a couple of quid but you're selling it a price higher than most real books.

After all it is free

After all it is free

Yeah. While I know who Lewis Black is very few people here will. From the content you've given us you don't seem to be remotely out there as comic writer nor informative enough to be an educator. Sorry like I said nothing wrong with the section on park skis an a gentle intro if that's it it's seriously lacking. It would be funnier to send people to buy 5XLT tees, gold chains, a wee wee bucket helmet and poles that are approximately the length of their forearms if you want to give cred advice.

You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.

You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.